Honorable Mention - Cadence Giles
Age 12
Concord, NH 

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She is ...

She is a tiger, prowling though the deepness of a jungle. She is the great hunter of this place, her home, swift and intelligent, brave and as strong as a sun. She has power over all, her dark eyes are equaled only by the night sky, and her mind seems to be a world uncaught...

She is a house cat, curled up in the softness of a bed, her two companions next to her, her breath a gentle hum. She is warm, her fur thick, and she is full of comfort and pure, untouched calmness...

She is a huntress, prowling through the darkness of night. Her eyes are searching the black surroundings for the rush of tiny feet, the breath of tiny creatures. Prey, hiding from her amber gaze and quiet paw steps. She pounces, suddenly, and around her the world is wild...

She is many things, some of which I do not and will not know.

But most of all she is the cat I grew up with, the cat I talk to when my world is spinning a million different ways. I cuddle up with her when the sky gives way to snow and all is cold and white. I watch her bound through summer days and into golden autumn. And I see her joy when winter turns to spring and the world, her world, is awake again.

Writer's Note: This is a piece about my beloved cat Foo Foo of seven years. She is dark gray with amber eyes and very beautiful. The two "companions" I mentioned are Samie and Sugar, her "siblings" despite their varied origins.